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We've already discussed Easter Eggs in movies and the many ways filmmakers create in-jokes and references for savvy viewers and those in the know, but today we're taking a look at filmmakers referencing other filmmakers (or their stars...or themselves). We bet you'll never watch these movies the same way again.
Honoring Directors They Admire:
1. Star Wars in Star Trek
Paramount Pictures
It's no surprise that Super 8 director J. J. Abrams is a Star Wars fan, but we bet you never caught R2-D2's appearance in both Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness. It looks like Star Wars: The Force Awakens won't be Abrams' first time with the Star Wars world.
Giving a Nod To Its Stars' Careers
2. Romy and Michele's High School Reunion's wink at Quentin Tarantino
Buena Vista Pictures
The comedy has a few subtle references to Quentin Tarantino's film universe. At the time, Mira Sorvino (Romy) was dating Tarantino. Thus, the keen eye can discern a Big Kahuna Burger take-out bag behind Michele's head in the scene where they pig out and decide to emulate top female executives. In one of the next scenes, an ad for Red Apple Cigarettes can be seen behind their car. Both of these brands were made up by Tarantino for his films. Red Apple cigarettes can be seen in films like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Four Rooms, and From Dusk Til Dawn.
3. Bruce Willis' Favorite Song
20th Century Fox via Everett Collection
Die Hard With A Vengeance has a Pulp Fiction reference in it! Who knew? Bruce Willis' Pulp Fiction character, Butch, is driving around while "Flowers on the Wall" by the Statley Brothers plays on his radio and he sings along before running into Marsellus Wallace. Die Hard's John McClane exits a cab in the 1995 film with Samuel L. Jackson and references his time suspended by reciting the same lyrics from Pulp Fiction: "I was working on a nice fat suspension. Smokin cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo." Willis starred in Pulp Fiction with Jackson between Die Hard 2 and Die Hard With A Vengeance.
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with Rango
sodahead.com
The beginning of Rango features the Johnny Depp-voiced reptile landing on the windshield of a convertible driven by none other than Duke and Gonzo from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Johnny Depp paying tribute to Johnny Depp.
5. Adam Brody in Mr. &amp; Mrs. Smith
20th Century Fox via Everett Collection
Okay, maybe everyone just really loves Fight Club and Brad Pitt, right? In the 2005 rom-com action movie, Seth Cohen plays the man they're both assigned to kill, which is how they realize they're both spies. The whole time, Brody is wearing a Fight Club t-shirt. It's pretty obvious whose side he's on.
6. Fight Club Starring Brad Pitt
20 Century Fox
Fight Club has a bunch of hidden gems in it, including advertisements for its main stars. Theater marquees within the movie advertise films starring Brad Pitt (Seven Years In Tibet), Edward Norton (The People Vs. Larry Flynt), and even Helena Bonham Carter (The Wings of the Dove, although it's obscured by a bus in the scene, so this is questionable).
Paying Homage To Themselves:
7. The Social Network's Tyler Durden
Columbia Pictures
Fight Club's director David Fincher has also been known to reference his own movies. In The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg's Zuckerberg uses Facebook for help on an Art History assignment. The profile he's viewing? Tyler Durden's.
8. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
Warner Bros.
In the Tim Burton adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic, Charlie's father works for Smilex toothpaste factory; this is a reference to the poison Joker unleashed on Gotham in the Burton-directed Batman by hiding it in their toothpaste. During a tour of the factory, Wonka walks by a room of pink sheep as he says, "I'd rather not talk about this one." While this may just seem like a way to accentuate his eccentricity, Burton's actually referencing his Ed Wood biopic, also starring Johnny Depp; director Ed Wood was a notorious cross-dresser with an affinity for pink wool. In other scenes throughout the movie, children in the Halloween flashback wear masks of Lock, Shock, and Barrel from The Nightmare Before Christmas and a door in the factory is marked "BeetleJuicing."
9. Before Sunrise/Waking Life/Dazed and Confused
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Oscar-nominated writer-director Richard Linklater's film worlds seem to intersect at times. Like when Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reprise their characters Jesse and Celine from Before Sunrise in the rotoscope dream movie Waking Life, which they then reference in Before Sunset. But there are subtler ways in which the films inhabit the same world: pinball. The same pinball machine can be found in at least three of Linklater's films: Waking Life, Before Sunrise, and Dazed and Confused.
10. Friends With Benefits picks up Easy A
Screen Gems
Director Will Gluck references his 2010 hit comedy Easy A in the totally-okay-but-not-as-successful 2011 film Friends With Benefits. The sign at the airport for an "O. Penderghast" alludes to Emma Stone's character in Easy A. Stone appears in both films and is flawless in both.
Paying Tribute To Other Directors:
11. Indiana Jones/Star Wars/E.T.
Paramount Pictures
R2-D2 makes another appearance - this time in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Spielberg paid tribute to Indiana Jones writer George Lucas by including hieroglyphics of the Star Wars droid in the 1981 film. Three years later, Spielberg did it again by naming a club in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom after Obi-Wan Kenobi.
12. E.T. in Star Wars
20th Century Fox
And then George Lucas thanks Steven Spielberg by featuring E.T. the Extra Terrestrial in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
13. Evil Dead 2/Nightmare on Elm Street
Paramount Pictures
Director Sam Raimi pays homage to Wes Craven in Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn by sneaking iconic slasher Freddy Krueger's glove in the background of a few scenes.
Paying Tribute To The Genre:
14. Scream
GIPHY/reddit.com
Scream is more jam-packed with references than most other movies. It's basically a two-hour homage to the horror genre entirely. The character Billy Loomis borrows his last name from Psycho's Sam Loomis before quoting Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. The janitor outside Principal Himbry's office (played by director Wes Craven himself) is named Fred and wears Freddy Krueger's iconic striped shirt. The film is so saturated with in-jokes and references that it's pretty easy for even the most savvy viewers to miss Scream Queen Linda Blair's brief cameo. Take comfort in understanding the constant name-checking of other horror flicks.

Star Wars director J.J. Abrams and his Star Trek leading man Chris Pine will join filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron for a Oscars nominations marathon on Thursday (15Jan15). Abrams and Cuaron will announce the first group of nominees in the categories of animated feature film, documentary feature, documentary short subject, film editing, original song, production design, animated short film, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects at 5.30am local time in Los Angeles and then Pine and Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs will reveal the rest of the categories.
The announcements will take place at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills and will mark the first time all the nominations have been released at once.
In past years, the nominations unveiling has consisted of just one announcement, focusing on the top categories.
Boone Isaacs says, "This new approach enables the Academy to further recognise excellence across our entire industry and underscore the full spectrum of the arts and sciences of motion pictures."

Director J.J. Abrams enforced "tight" security protocols while auditioning actors for Star Wars: Episode Vii - The Force Awakens because he was determined to keep the plot under wraps.
The Star Trek moviemaker would not show the script to potential castmembers to help them prepare for their try-outs, and Oscar Isaac, who plays X-wing pilot Poe Dameron, reveals he had to read his part in a secret room filled with cameras.
He tells Yahoo! Movies, "They won't even do that (send the script in advance)...You go to the place, and they have a room with cameras and you sit there and read the script. They're incredibly protective, because nowadays, with however many hundreds of blogs and this and that, people are just ravenous for content. So because of that, there has to be such tight security around it. And it gets in the way of the process a bit, but it's understandable."
Isaac admits he was saddened to discover pictures from the set had leaked over the summer (14), but he is adamant the security breach will not spoil the fun for fans. He adds, "I can't speak for the cast and crew, I can just speak for myself, but for me I thought, 'Don't you want to wait so you can get the real thing?'... But it creates excitement for it. I don't think these little leaks necessarily ruined watching the trailer."
The sci-fi blockbuster is due for release in December 2015.

Filmmaker J.J. Abrams took a break from making the new Star Wars film last week (ends07Nov14) to star in a fish-flying skit for comedian John Oliver's U.S. TV show Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.
The British comic was covering a news report about salmon transportation and decided to shoot fake fish from a gun.
U.S. soap stars and fellow TV personalities Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, Jon Stewart and Anderson Cooper all appeared in the skit and were hit by fish, as was The Simpsons' Homer Simpson in an animated segment and Tom Hanks, who was recording a public service announcement. But Oliver outdid himself when Abrams was hit by a salmon as he chatted with robot R2-D2 on the Star Wars: Episode VII film set.
The disgusted director stormed off saying, "I quit. I can't work like this!"
Last Week With John Oliver aired on Sunday night (09Nov14) in America.

Filmmaker J.J. Abrams is set to receive the Visionary Award at the Visual Effects Society Awards next year (15). The Star Trek director, who is currently making the latest Star Wars movie, will be feted at the prizegiving ceremony on 4 February (15) for his efforts to "foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work."
Previous recipients have included Christopher Nolan, Ang Lee and Alfonso Cuaron.

Star Trek and Star Wars director J.J. Abrams is bringing writer Stephen King's 11/22/63 to the small screen after signing up to executive produce a series based on the 2011 novel. Executives at TV streaming company Hulu have ordered the project, which revolves around the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
King is thrilled by the news his book, about a teacher who travels back in time to stop the Kennedy killing, is to become a nine-hour thriller, stating, "If I ever wrote a book that cries out for long-form, event TV programming, 11/22/63 is it."

YouTube/The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Just three weeks in production, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has raked in more than $15 million — this puts it ahead of the latest YA release The Giver as the eighth highest grossing property this month. But trouncing that Jeff Bridges/Brenton Thwaites travesty by nearly $3 million is only the second most noble of the Ice Bucket Challenge’s efforts. The movement is allotting nigh unparalleled funds toward the study of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an illness known best as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
The condition observes the weakening of the muscles in accordance with a degeneration of a specific portion of the spinal cord. As a result of ALS, those afflicted find difficulty speaking, swallowing, breathing, and moving altogether.
Though discovered in the 19th century and brought to infamy in the late 1930s in accordance with the suffering of beloved New York Yankee Lou Gehrig, ALS remains the most common motor neuron disease actively plaguing men and women today. While perhaps only a small measure in the fight against the illness, the Ice Bucket Challenge is allowing for tremendous progress in the collection of funds devoted to the defeat of such a longstanding travesty.
YouTube/JustinTimberlake
As is inevitable with any cause célèbre or public movement, we have witnesses no small share of backlash against the Challenge; critics decry the endeavor as a bandwagon trend and a waste of time that offers no real benefit to the cause in question. As far as the latter goes, the $15 million and counting — a sum made possible thanks in large part to the spirited, sportsmanly brand with which the Ice Bucket Challenge was designed — would beg to differ. Nevertheless, we find those with a sour taste for the charitable phenomenon. Not to mention those who simply don’t want to pour a bunch of cold water over their heads. But if you find yourself a culprit of this mindset, maybe take a look at the pedigree of the company you’d be joining were you to hop aboard for this particularly frigid mitzvah.
So what pop culture accomplishments can be attributed to the community of water-logged philanthropists?
5 ACADEMY AWARDS Between Steven Spielberg (3), Russell Crowe (1), and Oprah (a Humanitarian Oscar).
60 EMMYSBetween Oprah (13 Daytime Emmys and 2 Primetime Emmys), Steven Spielberg (11), Meredith Vieira (4 News/Documentary Emmys and 3 Daytime Emmys), Jimmy Fallon (4), Justin Timberlake (4), J.J. Abrams (3), Conan O'Brien (3), Jim Parsons (3), Ricky Gervais (2), William Shatner (2), Harry Connick Jr. (2), Rachel Maddow (1), Ryan Seacrest (1), Nathan Fillion (1 Daytime Emmy), and Topher Grace (1 Daytime Emmy).
62 GRAMMYSJustin Timberlake (9), Taylor Swift (7), Carrie Underwood (6), Lady Gaga (5), Mackelmore (4), Lil Wayne (4), Keith Urban (4), Weird Al Yankovic (3), Gwen Stefani (3), Ludacris (3), Brad Paisley (3), Adam Levine (3), Harry Connick Jr (3), Jason Mraz (2), Drake (1), Jimmy Fallon (1), and Calvin Harris (1).
10 GOLDEN GLOBESSteven Spielberg (7), Russell Crowe (1), William Shatner (1), and Don Johnson (1).

One of the rare gems we've seen hit the single-digit channels since the turn of the millennium, The Office, actually sported a ton of directors you've more than likely heard of. Some of them were already famous upon helming an episode or two of the NBC mockumentary, others were pinned at the starting line of what has proved to be a rocket-fueled race to stardom. Here are a few great film directors who, as you may or may not know, worked on The Office from time to time:
AMY HECKERLING
Columbia Pictures via Everett Collection
Episodes Directed: "Hot Girl."But You Know Her for: The generation-defining Jane Austen adaptation Clueless, plus the Look Who's Talking movies and European Vacation.
HAROLD RAMIS
Columbia Pictures via Everett Collection
Episodes Directed: "A Benihana Christmas," "Safety Training," "Beach Games," and "The Delivery - Part 2."But You Know Him for: Some of the most iconic comedies from the past 35 years — Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, and Groundhog Day among them. And as far as acting goes, we'll remember him always as Egon Spengler.
JOSS WHEDON
WENN/Nikki Nelson
Episodes Directed: "Business School" and "Beach Wars."But You Know Him for: It's true that offbeat television work like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly is what got Whedon on the map, but he is now one of the most prominent voices in blockbuster cinema thanks to, if nothing else, The Avengers and the upcoming The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
JON FAVREAU
WENN
Episodes Directed: "Moving On."But You Know Him for: Another member of the Marvel family, Favreau's biggest films are certainly Iron Man and Iron Man 2, though we celebrate his smaller fare: Made, Elf, and 2014's delightful Chef.
MARC WEBB
Fox Searchlight Pictures via Everett Collection
Episodes Directed: "Manager and Salesman."But You Know Him for: Jumping over to the other side of the comic book game, we find Webb's Amazing Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man 2. But before partnering up with Peter Parker (or even joining forces with Michael Scott), Webb helmed the neo-rom com (500) Days of Summer.
J.J. ABRAMS
Paramount Pictures via Everett Collection
Episodes Directed: "Cocktails."But You Know Him for: Whedon's only rival on this list in terms of blockbuster influence, Abrams is of course the man behind Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, as well as the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII.
REGINALD HUDLIN
Paramount Pictures via Everett Collection
Episodes Directed: "Koi Pond."But You Know Him for: Though Hudlin has spent most of his time directing television in recent years, the dawn of his career gave us two early '90s cult favorites: the Kid 'n Play comedy House Party and Eddie Murphy's Boomerang.
JASON REITMAN
Paramount Pictures via Everett Collection
Episodes Directed: "Local Ad" and "Frame Toby."But You Know Him for: That irreverent fast-paced serio-comedic style we saw in Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, and (the best of the lot) Young Adult. He also did Labor Day, but we don't have to talk about that one.
BRYAN CRANSTON
WENN/Joseph Marzullo
Episodes Directed: "Work Bus."But You Know Him for: Not directing, but acting. Cranston became a household name thanks to his starring role as Walter White on the unforgettable Breaking Bad.
PAUL FEIG
20th Century Fox Film via Everett Collection
Episodes Directed: And we have a winner! Feig directed 14 episodes of The Office, including "Office Olympics," "Halloween," "Performance Review," "E-Mail Surveillance," "Survivor Man," "Dinner Party," "Goodbye, Toby," "Weight Loss," "The Surplus," "Moroccan Christmas," "New Boss," "Dream Team," "Niagara," "Goodbye, Michael."But You Know Him for: Bridesmaids, of course, plus The Heat... and the legion of exciting projects he has in the works, like a spy comedy, a gay rom com, and (potentially) an all-female Ghostbusters III. And although we're focusing on movie credits here, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention his greatest contribution to pop culture of all: Freaks and Geeks.
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Harrison Ford is to return to the U.K. later this month (Aug14) to resume filming Star Wars: Episode Vii after bouncing back from a broken leg. The Indiana Jones actor sustained the injury on the set of the seventh installment in the sci-fi franchise in June (14) and film bosses altered the production schedule to give him time to recover from surgery back in his native U.S.
Filming was also suspended for two weeks this month (Aug14) so director J. J. Abrams could rework shooting in Ford's absence.
Ford appeared to have made a full recovery by walking the red carpet unaided at The Expendables 3 premiere in Los Angeles on Monday (11Aug14), and it is now confirmed that he will be resuming work alongside his fellow actors.
When asked whether Ford will get back to work this month (Aug14), a spokesperson for the film tells Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper, "Yes, absolutely."
Filming on Star Wars: Episode VII is expected to finish in the autumn (14).

Getty Images/Anthony Harvey
Since Gwendoline Christie joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII back in June, rumors have leaked that Brienne of Tarth will be going over to the Dark Side. According to Badass Digest, Christie will play an imperial Commander – specifically, the commanding officer who hunts down John Boyega’s character after he deserts his post. But as exciting as the idea of Christie playing the antagonist is, there’s a bit more to this rumor, as the site also posits that her role was originally written for a man.
Send your minds back several months, when casting announcements for the film were just a distant hope and every actor in Hollywood was reportedly in talks for the role. Around that time, Benedict Cumberbatch was one of the names being thrown around for a part, and as Badass Digest says, he was in talks to play an Imperial Officer. According to one of their sources, a major role in the film was re-written from male to female, all of which leads them to believe that Christie’s role is indeed the one that has been gender swapped.
It might just be a rumor, but it’s an exciting one, and outlets and fans have already shown support for director J.J. Abrams’ decision to make such a progressive change to the Star Wars universe. Casting a woman as an authoritative villain isn’t unheard of, but it is rare, and giving the role to someone like Christie over an actor like Cumberbatch is an interesting, unexpected twist on the typical sci-fi archetypes. It’s always a big deal when major blockbusters have better roles for female character than just being the films’ eye candy or damsel in distress, but to have Abrams make such a significant change to this particular universe also helps modernize things a bit. The original films might have had a strong female character in Leia, but she was the only prominent female character; by contrast, Episode VII seems to be lining up several complex, surprising roles for their actresses, including Lupita Nyong’o’s rumored Sith and Daisy Ridley’s alleged Jedi knight.
Whether we like it or not, roles like an Imperial Commander are generally thought of as male ones, and so casting Christie in such a role subverts the typical expectations that the role would be played by the standard “British white guy” that has become the go-to type for blockbuster villains. It opens the door for more women to take on roles like that, ones that we might subconsciously consider to be a manly character, which in turn opens the door for more Hollywood blockbusters and sci-fi projects to diversify their cast lists a bit.
But even though we might automatically consider an Imperial Commander to be a man, it might not have be written that way in the first place. There’s nothing in the character description to suggest that it wasn’t a gender-neutral role all along. It’s entirely possible that the script has always called for a woman to play the part, especially since Cumberbatch was in talks for the film back when they were using a script from Michael Arndt. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have since taken over as writers, so it’s entirely possible that this Imperial Commander is a completely different one than the character that Cumberbatch was up for.
Still, even if the role was meant for Christie all along, it’s hard not to get excited about seeing such a talented actress get a prominent, compelling role. Her performance as Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones has proven that she can be both compelling and compassionate, both of which will likely come into play in her Star Wars role. In fact, she might even be better suited to this role than Cumberbatch would have been, as she has a great deal of experience portraying a character that is often authoritative and intimidating. Whether or not the Imperial Commander role was written for her, it’s hard to imagine anyone, male or female, who could do a better job with it than Christie could.
Besides, if she’s half as good with a light saber as she is with a sword, she’ll have no trouble keeping the entire galaxy in line.
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